Michelle:
It was the aftermath for me that was hard. It's like if I wasn't going, going, going, it was the, once you got time to think about everything that you were doing was the hard part.
Dennis:
Immediately after I got out of the service, I was combative, always looking for conflict. Any kind of time that there was joy or any positive feelings, I find myself just being completely numb.
Glenn:
PTSD did not exist while we were in the military. When we were in Vietnam, you had shell shock or you had battle fatigue, or you were just plain crazy, right?
Joey:
My son was probably like three at the time, and I went upstairs to tell him to go to bed, and when I walked in, he covered himself like I was gonna hit him. I didn't like people being around me, and I think that's why my son's reaction was to be afraid of me. I sought therapy the next day, actually.
Michelle:
I was just able to like get in there and do my job, and I had compartmentalized it. That's kind of how I survived Iraq too, like you compartmentalize everything.
Dennis:
I experienced lots of barriers and blocks along the way of seeking mental health. I myself didn't want to heal. I wasn't ready. Many counselors have told me that it gets worse before it gets better. I just felt like I was like an angry and grumpy guy, but it was a cause of PTSD.
Glenn:
It got so bad I couldn't work. I couldn't do anything. You know, my wife said to me, she said, "You're not the man that I married. You gotta go get some help."
Joey:
I've been fortunate enough to find doctors that fit who I am, and help me just talk about it. I think it's important to share your stories so that others don't feel alone, and maybe it empowers them to engage in what they're feeling and what they're going through.
Glenn:
When I first got into the PTSD groups and the day treatment, I began slowly to open up to talk about things and getting some techniques to deal with PTSD, how to mitigate my problems, what I was feeling inside. That's when I began to discover art. I started painting. I found a source of healing.
Dennis:
Why not get checked out? Why not go and get into the system and see what they can provide? I feel like Vets need information. They want to know what the next step is. It's not a negative thing to try to seek treatment to better yourself.
Glenn:
You deserve the best quality of life for what you've done for this nation.
Michelle:
It changed my life. I just feel like therapy is good for anybody. It just makes life so much easier.
